Hiking in Cinque Terre, Italy

According to our Garmin watches, the hike from Riomaggiore to Corniglia is almost exactly 5 miles and took us just a little over 2 1/2 hours to complete.

The well-maintained trail is moderately challenging. The hike starts with a long climb up a stone stairway to the path that leads to Volastra and through the hillside vineyards.

We highly recommend this hike!

The Via dell’Amore trail from Riomaggiore to Manarola has been closed due to a landslide since 2012. The route is under repair but is not expected to reopen for several years.

However, you can hike over the hill from Riomaggiore to Manarola (and vice versa). The trail is a steep climb up many stone steps and down the same on the other side.

While some sources claim the route is only 1 mile in each direction, our Garmin watches measure the distance from town-to-town closer to 1 1/2 miles. Each way took us approximately 1 hour to complete.

The hike from the train station in Levanto to the train station in Monterosso al Mare is approximately 5.5 miles and took us a little more than 2 1/2 hours, according to our Garmin watches.

There are beautiful views of the entire Cinque Terre coastline before you descend into Monterosso.

Want a guide to show you the trails? Book a below highly-rated hiking tour in Cinque Terre.

You can hike the entire route in six to eight hours if you take short breaks—although many hikers prefer to spread the route out over a few days at a strolling pace, stopping to enjoy the towns along the way. You can hike from Monterosso (heading south) or Riomaggiore (heading north).

For more information about these and many other routes, we recommend alltrails.com.

Some portions of the trail are very easy to walk, such as the paved section connecting Riomaggiore to Manarola, and other sections climb up and over hillsides with spectacular views along the coast. It takes 6 to 8 hours to hike the entire distance, not counting the time to explore and linger in each town.

Cinque Terre is a beautiful and unique place worth visiting if you’re interested in hiking or photography.

The best time to visit Cinque Terre is in September and October when summertime tourists have returned home – and cooler temps and emptied-out trails await. The wintertime, from November to February, is characterized by cold weather and some amenity closures.

The trail portion between Monterroso Al Mare and Vernazza is the most difficult and challenging of all Cinque Terre trails. There are lots of narrow steps and stairs to hike up and down. You have to climb lots of hills up and down.